Tie stick for handling live wires



June 4, 1929. H. w. BoDENDlEcK ET AL. 1,715,636

TIE STICK FOR HANDLING LIVE WIRES Filed March l, 1926 m v y www4 l l; [i 5- @W1/Wma;

Patented Ju'ney 4, 1929.

HENRY W. BODELTJDIECKam) MnLvin T. rijrsoni),V or TAYLonviLLnVILLINOis, As.' l sIeNORs To Tirs TOOL COMPANY Iirconronaaien, OFQIAYLOIWILLE, ILLINOIS,`

A V ooniaoiuyiIori 'or ILLINOIS.

. Tin'sriox ron HANDLING LivE wines.;v

The invention relates to means for tyingv and untying tie wires on high tension electrio lines', to remove or replace, insulators,y

tensionllines or appurtenances, and for re- P y '10 moving andinstalling live wire clamps or Vcomealongs etc. and also useful to safely push,

pull, raise, or lower live wiresat anyvoltage.

The invention A relates alsof to improved means minimizing the risk of accidental short circuiting ofthe current, whichwould almost certainly be fataly tothe user ofthe tie-stick.

The purposes of the invention are: to provide a tie-'stick of improved construction adapted, irstto release either terminal of a wire which ties a line Wire, or the like, onan insulator orotherstructure; second-'to form the freed terminal part of theftie Wire so that Iit may be 'engaged and safely manipulated by the tie-stick in the hands ofthe operator;and third-to` provide a pronged twisternof iinproved lform,-wl1ereby the tie wire may be hooked on the central prong and coiled loosely around the outside prongs of the twister while, and as fast as the tiewire is uncoiled from the line wire or otherl structure, thus preventing t-he tie wire from falling, or Ooming-'in contact with other wires, machines lor easily'and'safely open or close switches con- Uli tie-stick having a twister head'supported by 'a neck extending a' considerable'distance upwardly beyond'the body to which itis attached at'the upper end lof the insulating proper manipulation of the stati' to provide on the 'insulating sta of the tie-stickan effectivev guard against improper use'of 911.6

structures; to provide a: tie-stick adapted to i trolling high tension currents; toprovide a staff, to permit the'twister head to carry the coil of the wire above and across the line'wire,

Aa reciprocating travel. gatedand reduced in diameter inorder thatwhen the head on the `tie-stick is raised somewhat above the line wire, the prongs 11` inayA head'in orderthat the wire may be coiledV loosely around theprongsof the head upon" Y Application sied-'March i, ,iaaewseriaifNo'ffei,fi67.- i

tie-stick; and to'provide tie-stickeinbodyadaptingit fortlie-p'urposes stated. 1 vThe-invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, to which reference is here-` by lina-deand will now Vbe described and the novel features thereof claims,` l

ing infull 'lines -aV tie-stick` on oneside of will be recited in the ing improved structural details specially Figure lis aside elevation of a tie-stick einv- A bodying ourinvention; Fig. 2 is a top view of the same tie-stick; Fig'. Sois a diagram show-1 the 'live-'wire and engaging atie-wire, and

showing in dott-ed" lines, vthefchanged 'posi'- tion of the same tie-stioklafter 'it-has been shifted to the'opposite side of the live wire g1 Fig. 4 is. a fragmentary' perspective view showing' va tie-.st1ck,'and itsl quadruple hook in operative relation to two high tension lline wires and tie wiresconnected with the respective line wiresfv Fig. 5 is a diagram illus-v tratingf themode" o'f 'use ofthel tie-stick kto V unwind a tie wire kfrom the live wireyand lig. isa plan view of a preferred `form of 1 Y tie wire speciallyladaptedfor use with vthe y Similar reference numerals designate similar parts in the'severa'lviews. f f' Wev will now describe the mechanical `construction ofthe tie-stick and some Vtypical I modes of using it.

VThe staff 7 jisof wood or other suitable insulatingy materiall adapted to A withstand ythe heaviest voltages carried. by `power transmission lines. y lhe twister is 'a' metal structure comprising a body 8 permanently attached at the upper end of the-staff a relatively long neck 9 of reduced diameter; a

head 10, and three tapered prongs 11 in tegral with thehead. The width between the prongs is such asv to admit the tie wire-22 freely'but is restricted 'to such extentlth'at the prongs will hold the inserted end of the wire,

so that the wire will be'ooiled loosely around Y the prongs when upon proper manipulation "of the staff, the prongs are caused to follow an approximately circular line o f travel .in

va plane `approkimately parallel to the plane in which the axis of the staff has at the time,

The neck 9 fis elonextendv above and across fthe linewire in such'v Y fio " posite side position that the; coiled ,part ofthe tie wire Vcarried by the :prongs may rest `on the line wire, to permit retracting oi' the prongs.; and'v Ythen carrying the tie-stick around to the opoiiftliejline wireand inserting the indicated in' prongs again inith'e same coil as l Fig. 3,'to permit downwardmovement oi the tie wire relative to the line wire.

A quadruple hook 12, shown 1 screws v13V and has an upper Ahook member 15 having a V-shaped notch 16 andbeveled .beveled edges 19.

edgeslS adapted to engage andihold wires of diferent sizes.; andiaylower iliookmember .le having a: similar Ynotch '17 "with similar The hook Mis .used to r push a memberof the tie wireupwardly j The arched partofthemeinber=14kisadapt .ed to push on line wires, or otherrelatively .large or. `heavy articles such las the branche's fottrees, or instruments such asmotors; transiformers or other machines .which sit is de- Thenotc'hed terminal of fthemeinlierA :'15

is adaptedtoypull r'on Ytie wires Aof various fsizesy orf other sinallwires, voron twigs, strings f or similar `flight articles ,which finterfere Z with vthe work-of thezoperator'.

The 'bevel edges of .fthe members .-14 vand y15 are adapted Atofbe pre'ssedbetween the-line' wire and thetermnal oat-hetiewire which z *.iis being operatedupomfto bendgsaiditerminal `outwardly Afrom the peripheryofftlie line vwireso that the freedterminal of vthetie wirelmay enter the notch 17,101 '16,as the .notch 1 7., upward `oase may be. y

or i'forwardfmovement kof thestaif A7, on whichthefhook- 12 is secured, will result in v-further uncoiling of the ftie wire 22,(Fig.' 4.) from't'heline wire 21.v If -the l'free ltermin-al gpart'otV the 4tie v.wirebe ;enr gaged infthefnotchj'164` downward or rearward movement of thevtie-stick,.thenbn theiopposite vside ofthe Cline wire, will resultin partial winding' of the 'tie wire aroundith'e line-wire; hence :the hook as a ywhole, ywhen applied vi'rstfon one Aside-of the :line wirefor other -strueture,za nd then on thefoppositefside of' -the -same-linewire orstruoture, is ejeetive to wind'the tie wire r'around the line fwire or i structureand to unwind the.V tie -wire ifrom vthe same line Vwirefor structure. l .Y Other different usesof the quadruplehook `will be apparent-topersons skilled in the Yart and need not be described here.

:The vhook 12,is calleda `quadruplehook because it comprises in a single structure, first,

an v:arched elementfll, electiveto ,receive and Y push onanarticlein the Va-r ch,.whenthe tiestiok is moved upwardly orforwardly relativezto the operator; second,;a no tohedfand lbeveledelement 114, effective tostart and n detail inY Figs. 2 and ll securedtothe staff lby pushthe terminal part ofagtie .away from the 'line wire during upward/or forward nloveiiient ot' the tie-sticlrrelative '.to the operator, tounwind a tiev wire from' aline wire; andalso effective tol windthe'tiewire around the line' wire; third, ani arched element 15, `eil'ecti've :to i'eeeive'and' pull on an around the `line -wire vduring;upward or foi# Vward `movement Iof the :tie-stick frelativeto U article in the: arch rwhen the tie-stick Y is the operator,y alternating with downward or rearward movement y'of fthe tie-stick relativel tothe operator. f f i Zhen 'linemen aregengaged 1in ;ty1nggor untyiiig Wires. oir-insulators, 4it is sometimes necessary t0 jerk, or in aqway ram,`thjeltie e1 vwire'withthe "tie-stick, and usually in such ycases the workman grasps the` tie vas Vclose tothefdangerousend as he deemssafe.;`

I he rams or jerks tliewii'ehhe is working on,th ereV isfalwaysfriskthat the tiefsticlr will i l slip v od Vthe wire' or outy of the Sloop, withthe y result Ythat i the tie-stick will go free. with his .force and weight behind it, .the rehy causing some part of his bodyfto comein Contact with `the live wire; thus causing his death.

To the best 03"; our knowledge f and ibelilef,

insulating amateri'al, such as jindurated ,Iiibre,

ablegsecuringdeviee 26.' Said safetdistanee fno'means hasbeen hitherto devisedand ap`v -plied to'obviate such disastrous-mistakes oi judgment.v Vile have devised f and embodied .ascientilieally tested guard whichl willnow fbe described. .il .The-iguardhQ consists-of. a rigid dise 0f Zhen `the ltie 4wire ris in Ithe for ?the like, :placed one-the stall at :a safe dis,- -tanc'e :from the metaltwisterfhead fontthe Y Y ,lippen end of thestaii,andsecuredfbyfasuitis determined by-aetualitest ineaeh'case and Y ,is vindependent ,of rthe lindividual ,judgment ,-offtheuser. This applaneeiis forthe-safety :of the .workman Iand i assures l that :he 4.will be safe fif'healways grasps. and holds only .that `part oftheista which is below the dise...v

Y 'The .modeaof 4 using the tie-stick to uneoil tie wires ,from -a rlive' ywil-ej isindie'atedwdia- Y grammateally inV Fig. 5 darts, f23 .indi-.cate

downward `travel of :the -tiestick f in firontpf thelive .wirewhiletheY-tie wireisbeing coiled around `the prongs ofthe twister head ;and

dartsj24 indicateupwaial travel of thesame tie wire. `Atethisstage of theioperatio'mthe i tie-stick will be transferred yto. the oppo si te sideof theline wire and gtheprongs l,wi-llibe engaged in the coiled .tie wire; `,then.resting lon the line wirepandjthefsame operationwill `tie-stick behind ythefsame lline wire. The tie- .Y

be repeated until the tie wire is completely det-ached and the detached tie 'wire will be carried on the prongs. of the twister head so ythat it cannot fall into dangerous position.

'Having fully described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is f1. Inconjunction with an insulating staff for manipulating live electric wires carrying .dangerous voltages; a quadruple. hook attached to the insulating stall with which it is usable and comprising in a single structure an upper arch-element adapted to receive and pull on relatively large articles, upon downward or rearward movement of said sta-ff; a

`notched element integral with'said upper arch-element and having beveled edges adapted to engage the endof a tie wire and push it outwardly away from the live wire, and adapted also topull on the live wire and to pull downwardly on any interferingr varticles during downward or rearward movement ment-on an insulative tie stick; an elongated neck of considerably lessdiameter than said In witness, whereof we body, and adaptedto'permit the body to take I position'under the live wire with' which it yis usable ;v a rounded head integral with 'said neck; a relativelyY short tapered central prong and two longer outside tapered prongs integralwith said head and Ispaced apart from each otherto'permit free placing of the bent terminal Vpart of atie wireon said central prong; said outside tapered prongs extending beyond said central prong a suiicientdistance to permit coiling of a tie wire held by the central prong, around both of said tapered outside prongs upon a rotative movement of the winding element around the live wire,.and permitting free withdrawaly of the windingvv element from the coiled wirey at successive I stages of the winding. Q y Y 3. In conjunction with `an insulating `staff for manipulating live Wires at"'dangerous i v55 tached to saidinsulating staff parallelithereto voltages a quadruple hookpermanently at-v and having arched elements, .one at each end, `l

capable of push-and-pull action responsive to lengthwise movements of' said staff, and,

notched elements integral with the respective arched elements each one adapted for pushing 'in one direction and pulling in the opposite directionresponsive to thelengthwise movements of said staff. Y p i Y have hereunto signed our names at Taylorville, Christian County5 Illinois, this 24th day offFebruary V'HENRY W.y ABODENDIQECK.

" MELVINTT. TIPSORD. v 

